Trying to Conceive Recipe
Evening meal
Vegetable handvo
A savoury Gujarati baked cake made from rice and mixed lentil batter with grated vegetables — a wholesome one-dish meal.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Portions
- 4
- Moderate
- Trying to conceive
- Preparing for pregnancy
- Vegetarian
- High-protein
- Fibre-rich

Make this recipe
Swap an ingredient
Only swaps that keep this recipe pregnancy-safe are offered. Allergen information below updates when you choose one.
Ingredients
For 4 portions. Tick items as you go — nothing is changed for anyone else.
This recipe contains foods that can contribute to a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy.
Method
- Step 1. Soak the rice and dals separately for at least 4 hours, then drain and grind coarsely, or use rice flour and soaked, ground dal.
- Step 2. Mix the ground batter with curd and leave to ferment for a few hours, or use straightaway for a quicker version.
- Step 3. Stir in the grated bottle gourd, carrot, ginger-green chilli paste, turmeric and salt.
- Step 4. Just before baking, fold in the fruit salt or baking soda so the batter turns light and frothy.
- Step 5. Pour into a greased baking tin, top with a tempering of mustard seeds and sesame seeds fried briefly in oil, and bake at 180°C for about 35–40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Step 6. Cool slightly, cut into squares and serve with green chutney.
Allergens for your selection
- Contains: Milk
- Contains: Sesame
Ingredient brands and substitutions can change allergen content. Always check the labels on the products you buy.
